Flenniken Lab Personnel

 

 

Naomi Kaku

PhD student,

Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology              

B.S. Cell and Molecular Biology, Central Washington University

My research focuses on understanding the impacts of sublethal virus infections on honey bees and mechanisms of honey bee antiviral defense.

 

 

 

Samantha Kozlo

PhD student,

Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology              

B.S. Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy, California State University, Monterey Bay

My research focuses on understanding the impacts of sublethal virus infections on honey bees and mechanisms of honey bee antiviral defense.

 

 

Hunter Charles

PhD student, Microbiology and Cell Biology   

B.S. Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry minor, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

My research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of honey bee antiviral defense, with an emphasis on identification of the molecular triggers of immune pathways at the cellular level.

 

 

Boone Jones

Masters student, Microbiology and Cell Biology   

B.S. Plant and Environmental Sciences with Plant Pathology and Biology minors, Clemson University

My research focuses on understanding potato plant antiviral mechanims that limit Potato Virus Y infections.

Fenali Parekh, PhD

PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, 2021

Dissertation Title: Honey Bee Antiviral Defense Mechanisms at the Invidual and Cellular Levels

B.S. and M.S. degree in Biotechnology from Pune University Work experience as a Patent Analyst for the Government of India

Current Postion: Microbion

 

 

Alex McMenamin, PhD

PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, 2021

Dissertation Title: Honey Bee Antiviral Defense Mechanisms at the Invidual and Cellular Levels

Masters in Entomology, Penn State University, 2015

Current Postion: Postdoctoral Fellow, USDA  - Agricultural Reserach Service - Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Cayley Faurot-Daniels, MS

Masters in Ecology, 2025

Dissertation Title: Past, present, and future monitoring of insects sensitive to climate change

Current Postion: 

Brian Ross, PhD

PhD in Plant Genetics, 2021

Dissertation Title: Undertstanding Resistance and Transcriptional Response to Potato Virus Y Infection in Potato Plants

Current Position: Associate Scientist 2, Illumina, Madison, WI

 

 

Laura Brutscher, PhD

PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, 2017

Dissertation Title: Insect Microbe Interactions: Honey Bee Antiviral Defense Mechanisms and Characterization of Spiroplasma colonizing wheat stem sawfly
Current Position:  Postdoctoral Scholar with Dr. Elina Lastro Nino, University of California Davis

Will Glenny, MS

MS in Ecology, 2017 with Flenniken and Burkle, MSU

PhD in Ecology and Environmental Studies, 2022 with Burkle MSU

MS Thesis Title: Evaluating the Effects of Climate Change and Pathogens on Pollinator Health using Plant Functional Traits and Longitudinal Monitoring

Current Position:  Postdoctoral Scholar, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany

Elisa Boyd, MS

MS in Plant Sciences, 2016

Thesis Title: Potato and Potato Virus Y: The Effect of Cultivar, Seed Type, and Defense-Inducing Agents on PVY Incidence 
Current Position:  Towne's Harvest Garden Production Manager, Montana State University

Marie Pizzorno, PhD

Associate Professor of Biology & Cell Biology/Biochemistry. Visiting Scientist at MSU: 2017-2018.

 

 

 

Katie Daughenbaugh, PhDResearch Associate  Lab Manager

PhD, Veterinary Molecular Biology

 

Hrithik Pahuja,Rotation Student  Spring 2022

B.S. in Biotechnology Punjab Agricultural University, LDH, IN. 

 

Keera PaullGraduate Student 2022-2023